Nicola Sturgeon Delivers Farewell Speech to Scottish Parliament

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's former first minister, delivered an emotional farewell speech to the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood on Wednesday, marking the end of her 27-year tenure as a member of the Scottish Parliament ahead of the May election.

Sturgeon, who represents Glasgow Southside, announced she will not stand for re-election, stepping away just over three years after resigning as both Scottish National Party leader and first minister in 2023. Elected in the parliament's inaugural 1999 vote, she described her service as "almost literally in with the bricks in this place." In her address, delivered during a debate on the Children (Care and Care Experience) (Scotland) Bill, she wiped away tears while reflecting on her time in politics. "I have been here for 27 years, that is almost exactly half my life," she said. "So, even though the time is right to move on, I won't pretend that leaving isn't a wrench. It is."

Sturgeon's career spanned eight years in opposition and 16 in government, including her nine-year stint as first minister from 2014 to 2023. She rose as the political protégé of Alex Salmond, serving as his deputy before succeeding him following the SNP's defeat in...